Mahler's the Name of the Day -- Again

So today, after Levine and Walter, I listened to Simon Rattle's version of the Mahler 9, which he just performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in New York as part of Carnegie Hall's 17-day Berlin in Lights festival. Reading the New York Times' ArtsBeat blog about the festival, it makes me think that there is a non-condescending way to do thematic programming after all. All of New York --from Chinatown to St. John the Divine -- have been introduced to the sounds and talents of Berlin over the past week. The musical energy in the city this week has had a little help from Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra who, according to YouTube footage, have a hard time putting on airs.